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Productivity Growth in U.S. Agriculture: 1948-2013

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  • V. Eldon Ball
  • Richard Nehring
  • Sun Ling Wang

Abstract

It is widely reported that productivity growth is the main contributor to output growth in U.S. agriculture. This article provides estimates of output growth over the postwar period and decomposes that growth into the contributions of input growth and productivity growth. The analysis is based on recently revised production accounts for agriculture. Our findings are fully consistent with those reported in the literature. Productivity growth dominates input growth as a source of output growth in the sector.

Suggested Citation

  • V. Eldon Ball & Richard Nehring & Sun Ling Wang, 2016. "Productivity Growth in U.S. Agriculture: 1948-2013," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 30, pages 64-76, Spring.
    • Handle: RePEc:sls:ipmsls:v:30:y:2016:4
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    File URL: http://www.csls.ca/ipm/30/ballnehringandwang.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge & Nehring, Richard & Osteen, Craig & Wechsler, Seth James & Martin, Andrew & Vialou, Alex, 2014. "Pesticide Use in U.S. Agriculture: 21 Selected Crops, 1960-2008," Economic Information Bulletin 178462, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Robert F. J. Romain & John B. Penson jr. & Rémy E. Lambert, 1987. "Capacity Depreciation, Implicit Rental Price, and Investment Demand for Farm Tractors in Canada," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 35(2), pages 373-385, July.
    3. V. Eldon Ball, 1985. "Output, Input, and Productivity Measurement in U.S. Agriculture 1948–79," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 67(3), pages 475-486.
    4. Wang, Sun Ling & Carroll, Daniel & Nehring, Richard & McGath, Christopher, 2013. "The Shadow Value of Legal Status--A Hedonic Analysis of the Earnings of U.S. Farm Workers," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149866, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Paul Schreyer & Pierre-Emmanuel Bignon & Julien Dupont, 2003. "OECD Capital Services Estimates: Methodology and a First Set of Results," OECD Statistics Working Papers 2003/6, OECD Publishing.
    6. V. Eldon Ball & Jean‐Pierre Butault & Carlos San Juan & Ricardo Mora, 2010. "Productivity and international competitiveness of agriculture in the European Union and the United States," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 41(6), pages 611-627, November.
    7. Eldon Ball & David Schimmelpfennig & Sun Ling Wang, 2013. "Is U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth Slowing?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 35(3), pages 435-450.
    8. Dale W. Jorgenson & Frank M. Gollop, 1992. "Productivity Growth in U.S. Agriculture: A Postwar Perspective," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(3), pages 745-750.
    9. V. Eldon Ball & Frank M. Gollop & Alison Kelly-Hawke & Gregory P. Swinand, 1999. "Patterns of State Productivity Growth in the U.S. Farm Sector: Linking State and Aggregate Models," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(1), pages 164-179.
    10. Dale W. Jorgenson & Mun S. Ho & Kevin J. Stiroh, 2005. "Productivity, Volume 3: Information Technology and the American Growth Resurgence," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 3, number 0262101114, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Sun Ling & Heisey, Paul & Schimmelpfennig, David & Ball, Eldon, 2015. "Agricultural Productivity Growth in the United States: Measurement, Trends, and Drivers," Economic Research Report 207954, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Productivity Growth; Agriculture; United States;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • N52 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q19 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Other

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